Friends Forever
by starstrukk234
Summary: They were best friends turned rivals turned best friends again. They were always together. They were happy. They were framed, branded missing-nins by the same village that raised them. They were hurt. They sought out for someone and came across an artsy duo. They started a rebellion against the ninja world. They were Ino and Sakura.


Friends Forever

**Full Summary: **When Sasuke comes back to the village, Sakura and Ino are overjoyed. Though they dropped all feelings for him, they still cared. But two girls take it differently and play nasty; they do horrendous crimes around the village disguised as Ino and Sakura. The two are exiled from the village as these girls begin to take over their lives. Sakura and Ino soon learn that even though they are rivals, they are still best friends and decide to take the journey together. Along the way, they bump into the Akatsuki duo Sasori and Deidara in a cave. Both groups soon learn that they have a lot in common, aside from the looks. All four team up to rise against Konoha and the Akatsuki (which they had escaped from) that are trying to take over the world. They join ranks with Sound, who they found out had been trying to stop this from the beginning. But during this rebellion, can the four stop themselves from falling in love with each other? DeixSaku and SasoxIno.

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Large, emerald eyes stared up at the darken sky, wondering why she had to be so weak sometimes. The pale moon light casted an eerie silver tint across the large village and forest that stretched on beyond it. The stars were shinning out bright, just as bright as the night that _he_ left. A sudden wind blew in through the window, sending candy colored locks across her face. She jumped when she heard that slight '_thunk'_ come from her small bedside table. She picked up the fallen picture frame and traced all the faces. It was her, Naruto, Kakashi, and _him._ Of course, her heart didn't beat as fast as it usually would when she saw his picture, but it still hurt to see his face. She felt tears stream down her cheeks and watched as the crystal droplets hit the glass surrounding the young faces of the old Team Seven.

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"Okay, so I have this theory." The blonde woman started, her blue eyes locking with emerald ones. The green eyed woman raised an eyebrow at her rival while turning a page in the magazine she was reading, but keeping her ears open to listen none the less. "I think Naruto and Sasuke were, like, in love before Sasuke left. I mean, think about it! They kissed, _twice_, and they were always hanging around each other! They must have been secretly dating or _something!_" The emerald eyed young girl let out a laugh that was hard to contain. The blonde pouted at her best friend as she stepped from behind the corner, untying her apron from around the waist. "Sakura, it is not funny! I was telling the truth! If you think about it, it makes sense."

Sakura gave a cheeky grin to her long time friend. "I'm sorry, Ino, it's just if you had been on their team, you would think entirely different. They were always screaming and yelling at each other, trying to outdo the other one. How do you explain that?" She challenged Ino, her brow raised with a playful smirk tugging her lips.

Ino huffed lightly while crossing her arms over her slightly large chest, wrinkling her orange shirt. "Isn't the answer obvious, forehead? It was sexual tension. They had to fight each other or risk trying to rape the other." She shook her head, sending her wheat colored hair flying lightly. "And here I thought you would have been able to notice, Sakura. One would think that you actually had a brain hiding behind that giant forehead of yours!" Ino giggled as Sakura's left eyebrow twitched.

"Yeah, but for someone who is so obsessed with couples, one would think you would know all about the Kiba, Hinata, and Naruto love triangle." It was true. Both boys had been fighting for the Hyuuga heiress's attention. They had confessed their love for the shy girl at the same time. What made it difficult for her was that she loved them both. "Speaking of which, has Kiba been in here today? I hear he was going to try and buy her flowers. How romantic." Sakura gave a dreamy sigh as she thought about Kiba and a blushing Hinata a bouquet of red and pink roses.

Ino did the same as her pink haired friend. "Actually, he was. He bought a twig of cherry blossoms, asters, and red roses. I wonder what he has planned for her to do tonight." She mused out loud, her index finger placed on her chin while tapping it lightly.

Sakura shrugged before turning the page of the magazine again, the loud flipping sound echoing in the quiet store. "I'm not sure, but it's probably better than what Naruto has planned. Ichiraku Ramen, as usual." Sakura said while rolling her bright green eyes before scanning the page. When nothing caught her eye, she flipped the page again.

Ino frowned. "He's going to get her sick one day from eating too much ramen." Sakura nodded her head, showing her agreement before blowing her bangs from her eyes. The two sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until the bell rang, alerting the two that Ino had a customer. She placed a smile on her face while turning around. "Hello, how can I… Oh, it's _you_ _two."_ Ino spat when she caught sight of the two smirking people at the door.

"Now, now dear Ino-_chan_, is that any way to treat a customer?" cooed the red head, Rednai. Rednai had long, dark red hair that went to her knees and was always curled and up in a high ponytail. Her bangs reached to her large chest. She had bright, silver eyes that seemed to always show joy or trouble. She was wearing a tight tube top and a black skirt with gray heels. Fishnets were going from the bottom of her skirt to her calf, rips here and there that were very visible.

"Yeah, the customer is always right, even in a dainty, small flower shop." Purred the girl next to her with purple hair, Ami. Ami had short, and uneven purple hair with her long bang reaching to her knee cap. Her hair was always down and it only reached her neck. She had light brown eyes that seemed to have a permanent glare stuck in them. She had on a gray tank top that stopped at her stomach, black shorts, and blue heels. She had on a fishnet top under her tank top.

Ino glared at the two girls in front of her. "Not when said customer has a brain the size of a walnut!" Ino spat again while Sakura placed her hand in front of her mouth to stop the laughter that threatened to pour out.

Ami noticed this and glared at the pinkette. "At least I don't have a mutant foreheaded freak as a best friend." She snapped at the blonde who in turn sent an evil glare at her.

"I would rather my best friend be pure with a giant forehead than a slut with fake boobs and an anorexic body!" Ino screeched, daring the girl to say something else about Sakura. "And at least Sakura was able to _pass_ her ninja exam, unlike you two!"

Rednai glared at Ino. "That's only because of Sasuke-kun! If he hadn't been her team, she wouldn't be a ninja, either! She is just a weak crybaby who can't do anything but throw knives and get in the way!" Sakura turned her head to look up at Rednai and raised one eyebrow.

"Actually, I trained under Tsunade so I'm also a medic-nin and because of my perfect chakra control, I can break a mountain with one punch. How about you, though? I bet living as a civilian you can do a lot of damage, am I right?" Sakura asked with a smirk on her fair colored face, her emerald eyes dancing with mirth.

Rednai gave a screech before stomping out of the flower shop, Ami at her heels. Sakura and Ino turned to each other and both laughed loudly, attracting attention from outside as people walked past the shop. "Ne, Sakura, what do you say we go grab something to eat from Ichiraku? I am pretty hungry." Ino said while rubbing her stomach through the cloth of her shirt.

"Sure, I could go from some food right now. And maybe if we are lucky, Naruto and Hinata are there." Sakura said while hopping off the stool she had been sitting in. She placed the magazine that she had been reading onto the counter while following Ino out. "We can pester them about their date." She added slyly with an equally sly smile. Ino mirrored the same smile as they made their way to the ramen shop.

"I wonder who Hinata will choose. I mean, she has been in love with Naruto since we were younger, and Kiba was there for her when Naruto left to train. Poor girl, it must be hard on her to be in love with two different people." Ino said, her face holding a slightly sad expression for the Hyuuga heiress.

"Yeah. I remember when we both 'loved' Sasuke. That was so stupid of me to end our friendship over some guy." Sakura stated with a scowl as she remembered the time she had decided to end her friendship with Ino, who had been her closest friend at that time.

Next to her, Ino shrugged. "Hey, it did have a good outcome, though, didn't it? You were able to become stronger because you had vowed to never to lose to me again. And we did become best friends again after the Chunnin Exams, right? So no worries." She grinned over to her best friend while twirling her long bang with her index finger.

Sakura nodded her head, and then pouted as she noticed the ramen shop up ahead was empty. "Looks like we don't get to pester Hinata and Naruto then. I really wanted to ask her about her date with Kiba from yesterday. She promised me details!" Sakura huffed as she sat down at the bar. Ino sat next to her, laughing lightly at her friend's angry pout.

"Oh come on, forehead! That would not be the right question to ask in front of Naruto! He would probably try to take her somewhere else that would top it!" Ino said while still giggling lightly.

Sakura gave her an exasperated look. "That would be the point! Then she wouldn't just have to eat ramen every time Naruto was on a date with her. I know it shouldn't matter where you go, as long as you are with the person you care most about, but going to the same place every day must get annoying after awhile." She elaborated while raking a hand through her short locks.

Ayame stood in front of the best friends with a smile on her face, her brown eyes shining with joy. "What can I get you two to eat?" She asked. Both girls turned their head towards her and smiled.

"I would like one beef ramen and she wants a chicken ramen, please." Sakura ordered for the both of them. Ayame nodded while turned back to her father to tell him the orders. "Oh, that reminds me! Does Shikamaru date Temari-san? Those two are always together!" Sakura asked Ino, who was on the same team as the lazy genius.

Ino flipped her hair off her shoulder as Ayame placed their bowls of ramen on the table. "Itadakimasu!" the two girls cheered before breaking their chopsticks. "I think they are, but I'm not sure. Plus, you know how Gaara and Kankuro are with Temari. Though she maybe older than both of them, they are both a little too overprotective of her. Plus, I highly doubt Shikamaru would want to deal with them. 'Too troublesome'" Ino said while rolling her eyes and doing air quotes around 'Too troublesome'. Sakura laughed a little, nearly spitting out the mouthful of ramen she just placed into her mouth.

Sakura gave a longing sigh. "I wished someone who would go through thick and thin for me like those three. I want someone who is nice to me but isn't afraid to say the brutal truth to me. A person who will fight by my side and not try to hold me back or stand in my way for my protection. You know what I mean, Ino?" The pinkette asked while turning to her best friend.

Ino nodded with a strand of ramen hanging from between her lips. She slurped it up before whipping her mouth with the back of her hand, getting the soup onto her hand. "I know what you mean. Too bad there is no one like that in the village that is single." Ino said with a soft sigh before an idea popped into her head. "Hey forehead, I have an idea! We should have a sleepover at my place tonight!" Her grin was positively radiating happiness, a grin that made Sakura smile back, no matter how hard she tried not to.

"Sounds like a great idea, pig. Let's do it!" Sakura replied, punching her fist in the air, causing her and Ino to break out into a burst of giggles. Before Ino could reply, a sudden voice from behind them sounded.

"Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, you are to report to the Hokage's office immediately." When they turned around, they saw a flash of black and white.

Sakura rolled her eyes as realization dawned on her. " It was one of Tsunade's personal ANBU. That woman is so last sometimes." She giggled as she placed some money on the bar. Ino saw it was enough to pay for both of their food and smiled at the pinkette. "What?" Sakura asked with a raised eyebrow when she saw the look on Ino's face.

"You're the best, you know that Sakura? I am so glad we became best friends." She replied, a large smile on her face. Sakura sent her a quick grin and nodded her head in agreement; she was also glad they became best friends. "What do you think Tsunade-sama wants from us?"

Sakura hummed lightly while placing a finger to her chin, a slight bounce in her step. "I'm not sure. It could be anything, really. Maybe a new mission? Or to retrieve sake for her." She mused out loud, also wondering what it was that her mentor could possibly want from the girls so early in the day. Ino grunted her agreement. Who knew what the mad woman could want? The two quietly thought over it as they trekked up the stairs to the office. Sakura knocked loudly on the door when they arrived. A muffled 'Come in!' was heard before the girls allowed themselves in.

"You needed us, Hokage-sama?" Ino asked, blowing her blonde bang from her forehead. That was really annoying sometimes. She should cut it one day or part it like Sakura's hair. Now was not the time to think about it, though, she reminded herself as Tsunade turned toward them

Tsunade's honey brown eyes scanned over both girls, observing both of her apprentices. Sakura had her hair down, her head band absent from its usual spot on top of her head. She had a on a black skirt that went to her knees, her red vest zipped over a yellow t-shirt, the sleeves poking out and ending near her elbows, and her usual boots she had began to wear while training. Ino had her long hair tied into a ponytail that ended at her waist, a piece covering half of her face. She wore an orange t-shirt with strings that crossed near the curve of her chest, gray ankle long pants, and black ninja sandals. Like Sakura, Ino wasn't wearing her headband, but she hasn't for a while. A smile tugged on her face as she imagined the girls' reactions to seeing an old friend again. "I have a treat for you both. I think you are going to enjoy this." At the confused faces she was receiving, Tsunade turned to the door. "You may come in now!"

Sakura and Ino turned to face the door when they heard it squeak open and nearly fainted at what they saw. Inside the doorframe was a tall man with pale skin. His eyes and hair were of a deep onyx color, though his eyes held specks of gray and his hair held blue highlights. A white, long-sleeved shirt was opened to reveal a part of his chest, dark blue pants were hugging his waist, a purple rope held up a darker blue cloth that began at the middle of his stomach and ended to his knees, black arm guards, gray-black shinobi sandals and the ever present smirk adorned his lips. The girls were frozen with shock as they studied Sasuke, who had just randomly appeared in the door. "Hello Sakura, Ino. Long time, no see, eh?" he asked, effectively snapping the girls out of their revere.

"Sasuke…" Sakura started, not knowing what to say. Her eyes met with Ino's in shock as they turned back to the amused male in front of them. Noticing his laughing eyes, Sakura glared while crossing her arms and cocking a hip to the side. "Sasuke, what are you doing back in Konoha?" she asked with a little venom added to her words. Ino mimicked her position, eyeing him wearily, not sure if it was a smart idea to trust him yet.

"My, my Sakura, and here I thought you would treat me with open arms. I guess I was wrong." Sasuke feigned hurt, even placing a hand where his heart would be. Ino and Sakura just gave him a hard glare, their eyes asking '_And why would we do that?' _He scowled at them before rolling his eyes. "It's because I'm coming back to Konoha after leaving Oto." His voice was back to his stoic, bland tone.

Sakura's jaw nearly hit the ground from shock and she could hear the slight '_pang'_ of Ino's _actually _hitting the floor. They stared, eyes wide with shock and disbelief. No words were able to form from their lips, their throats felt dry with cotton taped to their tongue, the pink muscle hitting the roof of their mouth without anything else to do. Sakura felt her ankle muscle spasm from standing for so long without moving. Sasuke stared at them with a raised eyebrow while Tsunade only looked amused. Blue turned to green and green met with blue, their lips curving up into a smile. "SASUKE!" they shouted together while throwing their arms around the taller male's shoulders. Said male nearly fell over in shock.

"We thought you would never come back! We missed you so much!" Sakura cheered, tears of happiness spilling out of her green eyes, her smile lighting up the room like nothing else. Ino had her face buried in his arm, her own happy tears staining his white shirt. A wide smile was lifting the corners of her Ino mouth as she laughed from sheer joy. They were both so happy; it was like nothing could hurt them.

Sasuke had an annoyed scowl on his face, but he lifted one arm to place around each of the smaller girls. Tsunade cleared her throat from behind her desk, slightly annoyed that they forgot she was there. Her face looked the exact same as Sasuke's, just more annoyed. "Yes, well it's a good thing you all got reunited again, but I can I explain why I called you two here?" she snapped. Her honey golden eyes rolled when the girls gave her sheepish smiles before hopping off of the young Uchiha. "Very well, you two are to show Sasuke around town. He will be on probation, but he needs to see everything that has changed around Konoha. After, you two will take him to the Uchiha complex to which he will be staying at. Am I clear?"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama!" They both cheered, standing up straighter. "Come on, Sasuke! Let's go! You have so much to see!" Ino said, her smile brightening up the room along with her mood. Sakura and Ino made a movement to take one of his arms and loop it in between their elbows when Tsunade stopped them.

"Hang on one second. I need to speak with the Uchiha. You two go wait outside the door."

Sakura and Ino bowed lightly, both uttering a short 'Hai!' before walking out the door. Tsunade turned to Sasuke, both wearing a dangerous smirk.

"So, you have anything for me?"

Sasuke nodded his head, searching through his inside pocket for a scroll and tossing it to Tsunade who caught it. "Sound is planning to stop us. They were going to go after the Akatsuki first, hoping to dissuade the Leader. They were going to use that," Sasuke motioned to the scroll in her hands, "to give them reasons not to help us. But before I left, I figured it was in our best interests to keep this from falling into somebody's hands."

Tsunade nodded, opening a hidden drawer in the desk and pulling out a dirtied scroll. She laid it on top of her desk and opened it. On the very top, it read: **Uchiha Sasuke: Mission: S-Class: Infiltrate Sound, figure out what they are planning. **

Another smirk crawled onto Tsunade's face as she stamped the word SUCCESS across the top. "Congratulations, Uchiha. Now that we know what Sound is planning, we can put a stop to them," she handed the scroll to Sasuke.

"And help Akatsuki take over the world."

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**What do you guys think? Should I continue this one when I finish my other story or do a different one? I actually want to do this one, but I don't really care. I will do whatever story you want me to. Please tell me! And vote on my page for whichever one! Thanks!**

**Reviews are love!**


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